Is the U.S. judicial system corrupt? Or worse, incompetent? This is the big question that Making A Murderer was already asking when it was released in 2015. Provoking the indignation of viewers around the world, the series today represents much more than just an audiovisual product. It has become a political object. Because the two directors are convinced: the "hero" of their story is innocent. There is every reason to believe that the physical evidence was manipulated. That the testimonies are false. That the prosecutor flouted the rules of ethics. Meanwhile, an innocent man would still languish in prison… For this second season, Making A Murderer no longer denounces, but goes in search of justice. Never has a series been so close to current events.
Small recap for those at the bottom who would not have followed or who would need to be refreshed memory. The two directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos followed for 10 years the misadventures of Steven Avery, a man wrongly locked up for attempted aggravated rape. Exonerated after 18 years behind bars thanks to advances in science, Avery sued the state of Wisconsin and demanded financial compensation. History to catch up a little the two decades that he has just missed what. Except that not a penny will ever be returned to him. Because two years after his release, Avery finds himself convicted again, this time for murder. Pile at the time when the State was about to give him a nice deal. Botched investigation, falsified evidence, conflicts of interest, suspicious confessions… Nothing seems coherent in this story. And Steven Avery seems once again wrongly condemned.
Three years later
The second season begins with excerpts from television news. One man can be heard yelling "don't let Netflix dictate your thinking!", while a group of women is campaigning in front of parliament for justice. Obviously, the broadcast of Making A Murderer provokes passionate reactions. Media and social networks are having a blast. And everyone goes with his little theory…
It must be said that the series tackles a sensitive subject: our faith in justice. History directly touches our value system. If Steven Avery turns out to be innocent, it means that the justice system is not working, or that it is made up of corrupt people who play their position. And if we can no longer have faith in this system, it means that anyone can be a victim. As Amanda Knox points out in the documentary of the same name: anyone can be me. Anyone can be Steven Avery, locked up for a crime he didn't commit. That's why Making A Murderer is a fascinating series. Forget psychological thrillers and horror movies. Everything is real. What can be creepier than that honestly?
An unequal judicial system
In addition to this loss of trust in the authorities, the series repeatedly reminds us that justice is not the same for everyone. For anyone who has never had to justify themselves in court, it is a total discovery of the underside of the judicial system. Between court-appointed lawyers, those thirsty for notoriety or those who have family ties with the victim's family… Things are far from simple!
It is obvious that a poor man like Steven Avery or his nephew Brendan Dassey cannot afford great lawyers. And we are faced with a feeling of total injustice when we compare the disproportionate means available to both sides: defense and prosecution. You just have to remake the whole story to understand. As an outsider and a poor person, Steven Avery had no chance, the outcome of the trial was a foregone conclusion.
The new discoveries of Making A Murderer
These new episodes are therefore an opportunity to set the record straight. To show that the work of the prosecutor but also of Steven's two lawyers (who had earned the status of sex symbols after the first season) were botched. After 30 years in prison, Avery no longer has time to laugh. He brings out the heavy artillery. His secret weapon? Kathleen Zellner, 19 exonerates of innocent convictions to her credit. His specialty. This veritable killeuse lives only for justice. She works free of charge on cases of miscarriages of justice. Like that, for fun.
This woman is a real bulldozer and cowardly from the beginning that she will stop at nothing to free her client. Throughout the second season, Zellner repeats point by point the elements of the investigation that led to Steven's conviction. Supported by numerous experts, field experiences and in-depth analyses, the lawyer raises point by point the errors made during the trial. She even goes so far as to play detectives and find by her own means the author of the murder of Teresa Halbach. Bluffing.
Three years later, the series embarks us on a frantic quest to assert the rights of two innocent people, going back all the layers of American justice if necessary. If some point the finger at the bias of the two directors, let's not forget that the role of a documentary is certainly not to be impartial. The documentary remains a cinematographic genre and therefore the work of an author, presenting his vision of the world. This being established, everyone will make their own opinion of the guilt of this dear Steven Avery. In the meantime, this second part raises new questions. With its cliffhangers at the end of each episode, its punchlines, its suspense music and the choice not to insert a voice-over, Making A Murderer provokes us the same sensations as when we watch a fiction. Always going a little further in show justice.
